


King

by MinkaMouse



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-13 09:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12981087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinkaMouse/pseuds/MinkaMouse
Summary: Young Remus Lupin did not ask for much. He only wanted to have seven peaceful years in Hogwarts without anyone finding out his secret. If he was going to be alone all those years, so be it. He did not expect to befriend and be a part of a group of pranksters and falling in love was beyond question but here he was. It was only a matter of time before his good luck ran out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A short chapter 1 for a new Harry Potter fic :) I always wanted to write a story during the marauders time and here it is! I doubt future chapters will get any longer because I plan that this story will be short... or at least the chapters will be so that it will be easier to update. I don't know... I guess we'll find out :)
> 
> Anyway, please let me know what you all think!
> 
> I only own what I own.
> 
> PS. This fic can also be found in fanfiction.net under the username AnimeFlowerGirl :)

Remus would not have known that she had entered his compartment if her trunk did not crash to the floor after she tried to lift it. He startled in his seat and looked up from the book he was reading to see her standing in front of him, her eyes on her trunk. She stared at it for a while before she tried to lift it up again. Remus watched her sway and he quickly moved out of his seat when he saw her dangerously teeter to the side.

"I'm sorry I did not offer my help earlier," Remus said as he helped her lift her trunk up.

When the trunk was safely tucked away, Remus turned to face the girl and was surprised to see that she was already looking at him. They stood nearly at the same height and Remus could not help but stare at her eyes – her pupils were nearly black and her lashes were long like that of a calf (it did not feel right to say she had cow eyes, even if it was a compliment).

"Thank you," the girl said, her gaze unwavering. It sort of unnerved Remus but he kept a polite smile on his lips. He did not want to make a bad first impression.

"It's no problem," Remus replied, taking a seat. He tucked his book away and looked out the compartment's window.

It was his first year in Hogwarts and he was excited. Well, excited and nervous. He's never been away from home before and he hoped that the year would go by smoothly despite his... bad nights. Dumbledore had promised him and his parents that arrangements have been made for him but he still worried. If anyone were to find out... he did not want to think about it.

Remus glanced over to the girl and saw that she had settled down in the seat across him. She sat with her back straight, her hands on her knees and she was looking out the compartment's door. It looked like she was watching the other Hogwarts students pass by and Remus wondered if she knew anybody else on the train or if she was alone.

It was then that Remus realized that he had not introduced himself. It had been so long since he had told someone his name. Besides his parents, Remus had little to no contact with anyone else after the accident. He was pretty sure that the only people who knew his name were the healers his parents brought him to.

He should have said something before he sat down – something simple like "I'm Remus, by the way" or maybe he could be cool and casual and go "The name's Remus. Remus Lupin." The latter made him cringe in his seat and he chastised himself for thinking he could that off.

"Did you happen to see a boy with black hair and grey eyes pass by?" The girl's voice brought Remus out of his thoughts. Remus' eyes widened when he realized that he was staring and his cheeks warmed. She probably noticed but was polite enough to not say anything about it.

"I can't say that I have," Remus said apologetically. "Is he a friend?"

"Something like that." The girl said mysteriously. "I'm Tabitha, by the way. Tabitha Faolan."

"Remus." He said a little to quickly, glad that she had introduced herself first. "Lupin." He added as an after thought.

Tabitha had a thoughtful look on her face for a moment before saying, "Wolf."

Remus felt his heart drop to his stomach.

This could not be happening. He was not even at Hogwarts yet and his deepest, darkest secret was already discovered. Why did he think that he could even hide it? He had no right to go to Hogwarts. He was a danger to himself and to others. He–

"Your name is from the story of Remus and Romulus, isn't it? The boys who were raised by wolves? And your last name means wolf." Tabitha said and to Remus surprise (or rather, to add to his surprise), she smiled. "It's a little funny, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Remus said, hoping his unease was not evident in his voice. "It is."


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius Black was probably the boy Tabitha was talking about earlier in the train.

Remus sat next to him and James Potter right after he was sorted into Gryffindor. The two boys already seemed like they were already as thick as thieves and Remus envied their friendship. Sirius had introduced himself and James the moment Remus sat down and the young werewolf immediately took in Sirius' features. He had not meant to, of course, but the boy's black hair and grey eyes made Tabitha's voice ring in his ears. He did not say anything; however, and simply told them his name in return.

Tabitha's name was called and Remus watched as she calmly took a seat on the stool. She did not even flinch when the Sorting Hat was placed atop her head. She looked straight ahead and Remus felt a shiver run down his spine when her dark eyes looked over at the Gryffindor table. There really was something about her gaze that was off-putting. It was like she was starring right at you but at the same time, not looking at you (or anything) at all.

The hat proclaimed "SLYTHERIN!" in less than a minute and the girl glided to the Slytherin table. When the applause died down, Professor McGonagall called for Lily Evans.

"Figures she'd be in Slytherin," Sirius commented and Remus could have sworn he heard a tinge of disappointment in his voice.

"Is she your friend?" Remus asked as Lily Evans walked over to the Gryffindor table.

Sirius shrugged. "We grew up together. I doubt her family would want her to associate herself with me now though."

Remus was confused for a moment before he remembered that Sirius was the first and only member of the Noble House of Black to be sorted into Gryffindor. Everyone else was a member of Slytherin. Thinking that any words of comfort from him would not matter, Remus offered an understanding look before shifting his attention towards the Slytherins.

Again, his eyes caught Tabitha's and he saw that her housemates were already trying to strike a conversation with her. He saw her mouth move in reply but she did not once look their way. When her peers saw that her attention was elsewhere, they followed her gaze and Remus immediately turned to watch the sorting.

A boy named Peter Pettigrew had been in front for nearly five minutes and everyone was getting restless.

This was probably what people called a "Hatstall" and Remus did not realize how boring it actually was to watch. He wondered which houses the Sorting Hat was debating on sorting Peter into when the Hat declared "GRYFFINDOR!" a little after the five minute mark. Peter rushed towards the Gryffindor table and plopped himself in front of Remus, his cheeks red.

"Hello, I'm Remus," Remus greeted him, happy that he found the courage to introduce himself. Peter squeaked out his name before James and Sirius turned their attention to him, greeting him as well.

...

It appeared that Sirius was wrong about Tabitha.

Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter had just received their schedules from McGonagall and were heading to their first class when Tabitha breezed past him and Peter to tug on Sirius' robes. Sirius looked back at her and James gave them a questioning look. Tabitha ignored everyone's gaze and instead tightened her grip.

"Yes?" Sirius asked, quirking a brow at her.

"You have Transfiguration, right?" Tabitha asked though she seemed to already know the answer because she did not wait for a reply. "Can I walk with you to class?"

"You sure you should be walking with us?" Sirius snatched his robe out of Tabitha's hand so that he could properly face her. They stood eye to eye but Remus did not think that they were trying to intimidate each other. "I don't think it's a good idea if you want to be on your house's good side."

As if on cue, a group of Slytherins walked by and glowered at them. Remus recognized some of them from last night – they were the ones trying to talk to Tabitha during the Sorting Ceremony – while looked to be upperclassmen who were just curious to see what was going in.

"What are you doing with the blood-traitor, Tabi?" A pasty girl called out, her voice high.

"You should no longer bother yourself with the shame of the Noble House of Black!" Another said.

Tabitha ignored them. Her gaze was still trained on Sirius even though he was no longer looking at her but instead he was sending the two Slytherins a nasty glare. The girls tried to stare him down but after a minute passed without anyone saying or doing anything, they scoffed and walked away, their noses up in the air.

Remus felt a bit sorry for them – they were obviously all talk and no bite. They were too young to know any spells to jinx them with and the upperclassman had already left, losing interest in a petty confrontation (if one could call it that.)

"Tossers." James muttered. Sirius huffed and turned his attention back to Tabitha. Remus watched Sirius study Tabitha's face before letting out a sigh.

"Suit yourself," Sirius said before turning on his heel.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus was surprised that it did not take long before he and his friends (he still felt warm and tingly inside at the thought that Sirius, James, and Peter were his friends) made a name for themselves. James and Sirius had a habit of causing mischief whenever they could – jinxing Slytherins who were particularly nasty and being cheeky with their professors. Remus and Peter would sometimes join in but they would more or less let James and Sirius take the lead.

More often than not, James and Sirius would be the ones reprimanded (they took pride in their pranks and brought attention to themselves) while Remus would be asked to try and be a good influence on them. Unfortunately, Remus could not bring himself to stop James and Sirius' shenanigans. The least that he could do was to not participate in some of their pranks.

Although, Remus did find out that he could be very sarcastic if he wanted to be. Sometimes, the words left his mouth without him realizing. His friends were probably being a bad influence but he did not care. It was nice to be included and they seemed to genuinely like his company.

For the first time in his life, Remus felt like he belonged somewhere – that he was human. It was this thought that helped him calm himself as his body began to betray him as the full moon drew closer.

"Is Sirius around?"

Remus looked up from his book to see Tabitha looking down at him. He was surprised that she found him. He was seated in the far corners of the library, away from the doors so that he would not be disturbed whenever someone entered and exited. Also, he was far enough from the short-tempered librarian that if James, Sirius, and Peter found him, it would take some time before they would be kicked out for their noise.

"I think he's off somewhere with James and Peter," Remus replied just as an explosion was heard some distance away. The bookshelves rattled but not enough for Remus and Tabitha to worry about them falling over. "That was probably them."

"Why aren't you with them?" Tabitha asked, pulling the chair next to Remus out so that she could sit.

"I just wasn't feeling well, I guess."

"You're sick?"

"I-In a way," Remus stammered.

Tabitha was looking at him so intently that he feared that she knew that he was lying. He really did not feel well, he felt clammy, his muscles ached, and his head was pounding, but he wouldn't exactly say he was sick. He did not have anything that Madam Pomfrey could cure with a wave of her wand or a potion.

"Oh. I hope you getter better soon then," said Tabitha.

Remus thanked her and wondered how she could say something so genuinely nice yet look like she did not care about what she was saying at all. Her eyes were half-lidded and her mouth did not even twitch. In fact, Remus knew that he had not seen Tabitha smile once since that day on the Hogwarts Express. Tabitha rarely showed any sort of emotion on her face, if any at all.

Whenever James cracked a joke that had everyone clutching at their stomachs, Tabitha would not even let out a breath of amusement – at most, she would tell James that he was clever but even that was not close to saying she found him funny. If someone would call Tabitha a stalker because she was always lurking behind his group before making a beeline for Sirius, she would not even spare them a glance.

Tabitha was as stoical as a statue and it was really a wonder how she and Sirius got along.

It was probably thanks to Tabitha's poker face that Remus and his friends got away with most of their pranks. While they made a break for it, Tabitha would stay behind and redirect whoever was on their tails.

"The full moon is coming up this week."

"Yeah?" Remus felt his heart hammer against his chest and his palms sweat. He tried to focus on his Charms notes but he could feel Tabitha's stare on him.

"It must be nice being able to see it at night – all the stars."

"The sky is pretty at night," Remus weakly continued the conversation. "What about you? Is there anything to see in the dungeons? Surely your common room isn't just walls..."

"Sometimes the Giant Squid would pass by." Remus looked up and saw the corner of Tabitha's lip curl up slightly. He blinked and it was gone. "One of my roommates swore she saw a mermaid though."

"That sounds a whole lot cooler than a bunch of stars in the sky," Remus offered.

"Maybe but it's a but unnerving when you see a Grindylow in the window while you're doing your homework."

The bark of laughter left Remus' lips before he knew it and the librarian (who was coincidentally making her rounds) was quick to shush him. Remus apologized and tried to calm himself down. Tabitha's face returned to its usual expression and Remus wondered if he imagined the whole thing.


	4. Chapter 4

It hurt everywhere.

Even after Madam Pomfrey did everything that she could – spelled and wrapped his wounds, gave him potions that would speed up the healing and help him sleep, fluffed up his pillow – he still hurt.

Remus was glad that he told his mates that he had gone home for a few days to visit his sick mum because he honestly would not be able to explain himself if they saw him. They already found it odd that even though he was sick himself (the days leading up to the full moon left him lethargic and maybe a little bit nauseous) he would visit his mum.

He looked over to the curtains shielding him from the rest of the infirmary and hoped that James, Sirius or Peter would not need to visit Madam Pomfrey any time soon in fear that they would be curious as to who was confined.

Sometimes he wished his friends weren't so curious.

The young werewolf looked up at the ceiling and tried to breathe. Tonight, he had bandages wrapped around his chest and he wondered why he didn't tell Madame Pomfrey that they were wound a little too tight. Maybe it was because he was half conscious when she had done them but still.

Remus sighed. He was being nitpicky because he was bored.

There was nothing to do right now but sleep. He was given a potion for a dreamless sleep, but he had long awakened from that slumber and he could not bring himself to close his eyes again. The memory of his transformation was still fresh in his mind and he did not want to think about how painful it was or how, because he was away from everyone and everything, he had ended up hurting himself in his wolf form.

Before his next transformation, Remus decided, he was going to leave a book in the infirmary.

Remus felt his neck cramp from the angle that it was in so he stiffly turned his head to the side. He heard his bones crack from the movement and for a moment he felt relieved until he saw that his curtain had slightly opened. He could see the other white beds lined up next to his and sitting on his neighboring bed was Tabitha and she was looking right at him.

Tabitha was dressed in her pajamas and Remus could not help but stare at the floral pattern. He did not peg Tabitha as someone who would wear patterned pajamas. Shaking the thought away, Remus forced himself to focus on the situation at hand.

"Who won?" Tabitha asked, pushing her hair away from her face. For once, her ash brown hair was not tied up in a sleek ponytail but was hanging over her shoulders.

"Pardon?" Remus was confused and slightly panicked. What was she doing here?

"I was hoping this was one of those 'You should see the other guy' situations," said Tabitha.

Remus realized that she was trying to make a joke. Or, at least that was he thought. He really did not know how to interpret most of came out of Tabitha's mouth.

"Well, clearly I lost this round," Remus said weakly. He then noticed that Tabitha had her arm in a sling and that her hair was out of its ponytail because it was in fact wet and sticking to her face. "What about you?"

"The Giant Squid won but don't think I did not ask for a rematch."

Now, Remus thought, Tabitha's got to be joking.

"It was a spell gone wrong," Tabitha explained after moment. "I was trying to switch places with my roommate but ended up sending myself outside into the lake."

Remus laughed despite himself.

"You can imagine everyone's panic. They called Professor Slughorn and he and Hagrid had to fish me out," Tabitha shook her head. "Madame Pomfrey said I should be as good as new tomorrow."

"That's good news," Remus said truthfully. "I take it Sirius and the others don't know about this?"

"Word travels fast around here. I'm sure they'll find out before they reach the Great Hall for breakfast." Tabitha paused. "What about you? Do they know you're in here?"

"Miss Faolan. Mr. Lupin."

Madam Pomfrey's voice snapped from behind Remus' curtain and he felt his heart jump into his throat. Tabitha's eyes widened a fraction before they returned to their lazy gaze. If Remus did not know any better, he would think that Tabitha was caught off guard as well.

"I would advice that the both of you stop your chit chat and go to sleep or else."

To Remus' surprise, Tabitha swung her legs into her bed and rested her head on her pillow without another word. Remus listened to Madam Pomfrey's retreating footsteps and waited a few minutes before he felt like it was safe to talk again.

"Hey, Tabitha?" Remus tested. Tabitha turned to face him and he could see that her pillow was soaked from her hair. "Would it be okay if you don't tell the others that I'm here? I told them I was visiting my mum, you see..."

He waited for her to question him further – to ask why he had lied to his friends and why exactly was he in the infirmary, but she did not.

Instead Tabitha simply said "Alright," turned her head again and promptly fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Remus Lupin had a crush.

He did not even know what it was like to fancy someone seeing as there was never anyone in his life before Hogwarts but he was pretty sure that what he was feeling was different from how he felt about his parents and his friends. He could not even describe it because every time he thought about it, about her, he felt conflicted.

How could being with someone make you calm and nervous at the same time? Whenever Remus was with her, he felt a calm wash over him and he felt like he could tell her anything that was on his mind and she would listen to him but, at the same time, he feared that whatever words left his mouth would only bother her, annoy her, make her tell him to shut up and leave her alone.

It was a miracle that he has not yet made a fool out of himself in her presence – at least, he thinks he hasn't – because he never knew how to act around her. In fact, he did not even know if they were friends. For all he knew, she was just humoring him because she felt sorry for him.

Remus let out a sigh. He did not think fancying someone would be this hard.

"Sickle for your thoughts, Remus?" James asked from the opposite side of the table.

The quartet were in the Great Hall attempting to write their Transfiguration's essay but it was clear to anybody who saw them that no one was actually working. Sirius had his parchment paper laid out in front of him but not a word was written on it, Peter's essay looked like a mess with all his erasures, James doodled on his, and Remus had stopped midsentence in his first paragraph.

"Remus?" James asked again.

Remus jerked in his seat and apologized for being distracted. He had meant to answer, really, but he had lost his train of thought when he checked if anyone else made any progress in their essays. McGonagall was not going to be happy with them, that's for sure.

"Sorry, James, what did you ask?"

"Are you okay? You seem lost in though. I could practically see the gears in your head turning." James pointed the feather of his quill to Remus' forehead. At his comment, Sirius and Peter turned to the two curiously.

Remus felt himself panic at their attention. He did not know what to say – should he tell them what he was really thinking about? What if they made fun of him?

"I – uh – I was wondering what I should write next for my essay..." Remus lied weakly, hoping James would accept his answer.

"Ah. Right, right. The essay," James muttered, looking down at his own work. "Well, I don't think I'm going to get much done today." He rolled up the parchment and pushed it aside, propping his elbows onto the table. He let out a heavy sigh and turned his attention to the Slytherin table.

Remus followed James's gaze and saw Tabitha sitting next to Lily Evans and Severus Snape. Lily and Snape seemed to be working on an assignment together and Tabitha was reading a book.

"She's quite pretty, isn't she?" James mused, "Evans."

Sirius and Peter looked to Lily and studied her for a moment.

"I suppose," said Sirius.

"I like her hair," Peter added. "It's very red."

"It's a mystery why she spends all her time with Snape," James huffed. "His company can't be that great."

Remus did not hear what Sirius or Peter had replied to James's comment because he found himself watching Tabitha flip through the pages of her book. He noticed that she frequently flipped back and forth as if she were trying to make sense of what she was currently reading by reviewing what has been said previously. She looked like she was having trouble.

Remus felt himself smile at the sight.

It took a while (nearly a month of their accumulated time in the library and sometimes by the Great Lake) but Remus could somewhat say confidently that he could make out Tabitha's different moods and feelings despite her being reserved.

The little twitches her face made with every emotion had become blatantly obvious to Remus over time.

He bet if he tried to explain to James the difference between Tabitha joking around and her being annoyed with Sirius, he would not understand, but Remus did.

Remus knew the difference.

"Tabitha's quite pretty."

It took a moment before Remus realized that he had voiced his thoughts out by accident and he was mortified. He squeezed his eyes shut and awaited their ridicule.

"I suppose," said Sirius without hesitation.

"I like her hair," Peter added. "It's really straight."

"It's a mystery why she's sorted into the same house as Snape," James huffed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not exactly sure how to explain the flow of this fic. When I thought about how I wanted to write it, I pictured simply showing snippets of Remus' life in Hogwarts. So, yeah. Like, important events, so to speak? I guess more will be revealed in the future once I get the hang of things.
> 
> I like writing slow burn relationships but I also like establishing the "crush" early on. I think it makes it easier to follow? Maybe that's just me. haha.
> 
> Please let me know what you all think!
> 
> I only own what I own.


	6. Chapter 6

Remus was the last to enter the compartment and put up his trunk and he sighed in contentment when he finally eased into the seat next to Peter. James and Sirius sat in front of them and already they were talking about what they were going to do for the summer.

To Remus' surprise, James's invitation to sleepover at his house extended to Remus and Peter ("Of course you two are invited!" said James even though neither of them had voiced out their thoughts. "It wouldn't be the same without either of you!") and they all tried to decided on the date they would all come over. Remus, of course, made a mental note to make sure that their night did not fall on a full moon.

The quartet's first year in Hogwarts went by without a hitch – well, pranks going wrong and detention not included – and Remus could only hope that his remaining years would go the same way. He had a group of friends, good grades, teachers who seemed to like him despite his and his friends' antics, a crush, and no one has found out about his secret (both his secrets.)

On several occasions, Remus thought that his entire year in Hogwarts was simply a dream (and even now, on his way home, he could not believe everything that has happened) but no matter how many times he's pinched himself, he was happy to find out that he was already awake.

Everything was too good to be true.

Remus looked out the compartment's door and people watched for a moment. There were students looking for vacant compartments to settle in and there were some looking for their friends. One boy even passed by their compartment to ask if the trolley lady had begun her rounds. When they told him that she had not, he thanked them and called out to someone down the aisle and relayed the information. It was then that James pulled out a box of stink pellets.

Remus figured that he should have known that his friends were not going to end the year without causing some sort of mayhem. It was the perfect time too, no teachers around to reprimand them and the trolley lady had yet to make her appearance.

"Any of you want to find out which compartment Snivellus is brooding in?" James asked with a devious grin.

Sirius was already standing, dusting his clothes. "I think I saw his greasy mop near the front."

"I'm so in!" Peter said excitedly.

The three of them then looked at Remus expectantly. Remus shook his head and stood up from his seat as well. He gestured for Sirius to lead the way when they heard some sort of confrontation happening near their compartment. Other students took notice as well.

Standing in the middle of the aisle closest to the quartet were two upperclassmen. Remus recognized them as two of the many girls who have taken a liking Sirius. In front of them was Tabitha.

"Where do you think you're going, Faolan?" The shorter of the two asked, pushing Tabitha back when she tried to walk past them. "Off to look for Sirius?"

"You're such a stalker." The other sneered.

Remus furrowed his brows at the last comment and looked over to Sirius and saw that he was not happy. Neither was James. Peter looked unsettled at the scene. The young werewolf turned his attention back to the scene.

"Do you think following Black and his friends around like his shadow will get him to like you?  _Please._  You're nothing more than an annoyance – know your place."

Tabitha tried to squeeze herself between them but the shorter one shoved her back.

"You're a menace." The taller girl said and it was obvious to Remus that she was using her height to intimidate Tabitha. "Always asking people where Sirius is. Don't act like you don't know that he avoids you. You're an embarrassment. You follow Sirius around like a lost puppy. I feel sorry for you. No one in your house even likes you–"

"Alright. That's it." Sirius called out. The upperclassmen whirled around in surprise and horror. Remus recognized them. They were three "Leave Tabitha alone."

"But Sirius–"

"But nothing." James cut in. "Tabitha's our friend."

"In fact," Remus said, slightly annoyed at himself for waiting so long to say something. "Who are you three to call her stalker when we've caught you lurking behind statues while we walk to class?"

"Yeah!" Peter chimed in.

"Tabitha is welcome to join us whenever she wants," said Sirius with anger lacing his voice. His expression was cool as he walked past them to stand in front of Tabitha. "I'm a very busy man so I'm sorry if Tabitha has trouble looking for me. If she asks, then tell her where I am."

"But – But why? Why is she so entitled?" The shortest stammered.

It was obvious to everyone who was watching that these girls were only jealous of Tabitha and wanted a reason as to why a Slytherin like her was allowed to be with Sirius Black – a Gryffindor. She even got along with the Sirius' friends. It did not make sense to them.

Sirius scoffed and laced his arm around Tabitha who, for the first time since Remus met her, looked distressed. Remus, James, and Peter watched curiously, waiting to see what Sirius would do.

"Why? Well, because she's my fiancé of course!" Sirius said with an arrogant smirk. "Now, I would appreciate it if you would leave my darling wife-to-be alone. Thank you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure each chapter I write is 2 pages in a Word document so sometimes scenes are rushed or there isn't much in a scene. I hope this one played out well. It was something I always had in my head when I was thinking about this story. haha. Let's see how this unfolds.
> 
> Let me know what you all think!
> 
> I only own what I own.


End file.
